Stupid question...

[txrefcshou]

Originally Posted by klo376

I have in instances where they put 3 RB"s in the backfield then pull the TE and put him in motion. I warned the coach first that he needed 7 on the line at the time of the snap. Three plays later he does it again then I threw it. He says the officials last week told him it was ok. But I tried to be more preventative first. My rule of thumb for that age group is warn first then if it's obvious it's drawn illegal and not simply a matter of the WR not checking if their on the line then throw it. Problem is when they do start to see it in MS then they don't understand because it hadn't been called in 4 years.



Are you saying that if a coach played with this formation you'd let it go?

-----------TE-T-G-C-G-T----------
-------------------QB-------------

----------------RB-RB-RB----------
-------------------RB--------------

I sure would not call it without talking to the coach and making sure he knew why it was wrong. So I guess the answer is yes we would have run at least one flagless play from that formation with 10 year olds.

[klo376]

I had one coach of this age group who had 3 RB's then set his TE in motion where the C snappped the ball right before he got to the QB. I told the coach by putting that TE in motion he was leaving his line short. I do give them a lot of leeway but I call really obvious stuff such as this. He told me that in their league they onley need 6 on the line. I asked for it to be shown to me before they ran it again, then I waved that one off. But yes I did give them a freebie. If they come out like this

-----------------TE-T-G-C-G-T---------------
----WR-----------------QB------------WR----

--------------------RB------RB---------------

or

-----------------T-G-C-G-T-TE---------------
---WR---------------QB----------------------
---------WR----------------------------------
-----------------RB------RB------------------

I let them go. The 2nd one I'll even let go in MS a few times then tell then to ask if they're on the line (if we have coverage on that side). I'm more likely to call it at MS if the both WR's are on the same level.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by txrefcshou

I sure would not call it without talking to the coach and making sure he knew why it was wrong. So I guess the answer is yes we would have run at least one flagless play from that formation with 10 year olds.

Don't you think that team could've gotten even an inadvertent advantage from snapping from a formation with a greater than allowed ratio of backs to linemen? Since they commonly don't apply eligible receiver numbering at that age, how about the extra potential pass receiver gained thereby? Or the easier job of lead blocking one would have starting in the backfield compared to pulling from the line?

Robert

[txrefcshou]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

Don't you think that team could've gotten even an inadvertent advantage from snapping from a formation with a greater than allowed ratio of backs to linemen? Since they commonly don't apply eligible receiver numbering at that age, how about the extra potential pass receiver gained thereby? Or the easier job of lead blocking one would have starting in the backfield compared to pulling from the line?

Robert

Very respectfully, in my opinion, no.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by txrefcshou

Very respectfully, in my opinion, no.

Then in retrospect I feel like a fool having called time out when I saw our Jr. Pee-Wees (less than 12 YO) in an illegal formation.

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

Then in retrospect I feel like a fool having called time out when I saw our Jr. Pee-Wees (less than 12 YO) in an illegal formation.

I guess it depends which league we're talking about. The largest youth league our association covers wants all formation and numbering rules enforced. Now obviously in the younger levels we're calling the obvious along with a good mixture of talking to the coaches but if we have a formation with a QB and 4 runnning backs, it is getting flagged at even the lowest level.

[MD Longhorn]

I think that in PeeWee or even 7th grade ball, if you have an illegal formation because some poor kid was supposed to be on the line, and wasn't, tell the coach and let it go. No advantage is being gained here. 7th grade safeties are not reading formations to determine coverages or anything like that.

But if the IF is because they truly have too many players lined up behind the QB, or took an end off the line and sent him in motion, you have to flag it.

If you have enough bodies to cover it. Sometimes at this age level, we're usually going 2-man crews.